


In accordance with our laws and our many beliefs

by shopfront



Category: Legally Blonde (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Trek Fusion, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Pining, Space Road Trip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-09-30 23:21:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20455226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shopfront/pseuds/shopfront
Summary: When Elle discovers that she has some unexpected family connections in space, she ropes her Academy roommate and best friend into marrying her so she can claim her inheritance. What, like faking an engagement is hard?





	In accordance with our laws and our many beliefs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Prinzenhasserin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prinzenhasserin/gifts).

"Have you thought about ignoring it? Surely it's not binding," Vivian asked as she delicately wrinkled her nose.

"No, it's not. There's no provision in the will for my refusing, but they also can't make me do anything. It's far harder to get permission to leave the Academy before graduation than it is to stay, just for starters. I'll be perfectly secure and undisturbed here on Earth for now," Elle said.

Vivian immediately relaxed, but Elle looked back down at her padd and bit her lip.

"If I'm going to make Captain by the time I'm thirty then I'll probably be far too busy to go there during shore leave, either," she continued slowly. "I know it's only a small colony, established not long after the Federation's found, and relatively speaking it's not even very far away. It should be quite similar to Earth still, but they're so closed off from everything else.... Don't you think I should find out more about the conditions before I turn down the inheritance? I had no idea my great-great-grandmother was even _from_ that colony, so who knows what else there is to discover out there!"

Vivian pulled another face. "Yeah, but do you really want to marry some total stranger just to discover it?"

Elle made a non-committal noise and shrugged. "Not really. But you know that I only applied to Starfleet in the first place because I was totally convinced I'd be marrying Warner after I got in. This would hardly be the most impulsive thing I've ever done in the marriage department, nor my worst reason for trying something."

Vivian's jaw dropped open as she visibly struggled for and failed to find a response.

"What?" Elle asked. "Why shouldn't I marry someone at the colony? There has to be at least one person who'd be willing to separate again afterwards, or I can just file the paperwork myself when I get back to the Academy. I'm fairly sure these terms of inheritance don't require me to _stay_ married, and I really do think I deserve to know more about where I came from. Don't you?"

Spluttering, Vivian clicked her fingers sharply and held her hand out for the padd. "Give me that, I want to see those terms for myself before you make any stupid decisions. We don't even know what their legal system is like! What if you can't annul it?"

Handing the padd over with a smile, Elle just shrugged again. Her expression was serene and untroubled again, as if she already felt a little lighter for having made the decision.

"I'm about to graduate as one of Starfleet's best new litigators, Vivian. Plus, I have the next very best new graduate sitting beside me right now to check my work. I'm sure I can find my way around any quirks of local law if I have to. Yes, they are secretive. But they're still just another human colony. How hard could it be?"

* 

"Impossible!" Commander Callahan declared.

"I told you," Vivian muttered without even bothering to look up from her lecture notes.

Elle huffed and squared her shoulders. "I really think you might be mistaken. I'm sure that with the right precedent-"

"Your 'client' is welcome to take their chances, but I really wouldn't advise it," he interrupted, only to sigh and rub his temple when Elle raised her chin higher. "You're a bright student Elle, don't get me wrong. But you're not a qualified litigator yet. The colony charter is clear about which Federation laws are allowed to supersede the colony equivalents and, unless your client can somehow guarantee beforehand that their new spouse will be granted a special allowance for separation by their local civilian representative, your recommendation will only get them stuck in this marriage. The colony doesn't grant separations to their own citizens, nor will it recognise those granted elsewhere in the Federation."

Still frowning, Elle opened her mouth to respond and paused. Callahan's eyebrows went up as he waited, but after a moment she just shut her mouth with a snap and beamed at him.

"Thank you, Commander!" she chirped as she yanked Vivian out of her seat by her elbow. Vivian yelped and nearly dropped her padd, struggling to keep up as Elle frog-marched her to the door. "I think I know just what to do."

Vivian was still distracted and fumbling with her things as they left, so she found herself struck silent with surprise when Elle stopped outside the classroom door and asked her. She stared blankly back at Elle, lips working soundlessly, as she tried to muster a response. "Marry you?" she finally repeated faintly. "I… yes, I- alright, yes."

Elle shrieked and clapped her hands. "Oh, we're going to have so much fun! Thank you, Vivian. You know, you're really the best friend a girl could ask for."

Vivian blinked as Elle twirled and hurried away. She was already muttering a to-do list under her breath for their trip, so she didn't hear Vivian's equally faint, "friend?"

* 

"I don't know what I was thinking when I said I'd do this," Vivian declared for the umpteenth time after they cleared Earth space and finished inputting their flight path, even though she knew it was wildly untrue. She knew exactly why she'd agreed, and it had been the source of her bad mood for weeks now. "I come from a long line of distinguished Starfleet Admirals, Elle. A very long, very _honest_ line!"

"Relax, already, it's going to be fine," Elle said beside her. She'd been turned away from the controls for a while now, too busy telling Vivian everything she'd read about common colony rituals even while Vivian huffed and sighed and dealt with asking for flight clearance on her own.

As soon as Vivian had finished with the controls and sat back with another grumble, Elle had extended a hand. The same hand that was still hovering, waiting for Vivian to hold it.

"Now take my hand and repeat after me. I, Vivian Kensington-"

Vivian definitely didn't take Elle's hand. She didn't even switch their borrowed runabout to autopilot like Elle had asked her, and instead just pouted and glared. "Oh, no. No, no, no. I am not practising our fake wedding with you when we don't even know what the usual ceremony involves. You should know that I make no promises about going through with this if I have to get naked, or fight someone, or-"

Elle waved her hand as if to shoo away Vivian's words. "Oh, I'm sure you won't have to fight anyone, you know it's not a Vulcan colony. It's human, silly!"

Vivian's eyes just narrowed further. "You're really sure there's nothing strange or surprising in store for us?"

She waited for Elle's eagerly nodded 'uh huh' before she struck.

"Then why are you so determined to claim your right as your grandmother's descendent to join them? So determined, in fact, that you're dragging me across light years with you just to fake a wedding. Answer me that, Elle!"

"My great, _great _grandmother," Elle corrected her. "And you know why: this is my birthright. Even if it doesn't end up revealing anything new about us, I still owe it to my family to find out for sure. I realise that I come from a line of pretty people, not a long line of Admirals. But the will specifically stated that the first child from my generation who successfully embarks on a worthwhile career should be allowed to regain colony citizenship and inherit her property. I'm honour bound to try."

Vivian snorted. "Don't you have a cousin that might be interested or something?"

"That's just it, apparently because I'm the oldest and I'm about to graduate from Starfleet I'll knock everybody else out of the running even if I turn it down. Even you have to admit how oddly specific a bequest it is," Elle replied, her words picking up speed as her enthusiasm grew. "I couldn't find any precedents for colony bequests like this in the Federation records. Perhaps it's a sign there's something in my family history worth documenting for future generations of Woods! Who knows, maybe my own children will also one day decide to become colony citizens by entering into a marriage on their soil. I could be starting a new tradition!"

She waited a beat for Vivian to respond, but Vivian just continued staring stonily at the view screen.

"Besides, it won't _be_ a fake wedding. It will be a perfectly legal one, just one that we'll annul when we get back," Elle finished with a huff.

Rolling her eyes, Vivian abruptly transferred control of the conn over to Elle and stood up. "Well, we have days of travel ahead of us first so I'm going to rest now while I can. Have fun practising your incredibly unlikely vows or whatever."

But Elle just brightened and quickly hit a few buttons to turn on the autopilot and proximity alarms. "Wait for me! If you really don't want to practise vows, we don't have to do that. But we should probably work on being a more convincing engaged couple, don't you think?"

Vivian faltered and turned to stare at Elle incredulously as she stood up. "I… guess so?"

Elle bounced on the balls of her feet and reached out to reel Vivian in. "We're going to make the best fake couple, I just know it! Now, don't be startled. I'm just going to kiss you on the cheek to begin with," she said as she wrapped herself around Vivian and began to lean in, lips puckering.

Vivian stood stiffly in Elle's arms while she pressed a kiss to Vivian's cheek. It didn't linger, but it was warm and gentle and Vivian couldn't help herself - before Elle could pull away, she'd already relaxed against her with a little sigh.

"There, see, that wasn't so bad," Elle said as Vivian shook herself and stepped back.

Vivian nodded sharply, just once. "Right, we've obviously got that down pat so there's no need to keep practicing. You really should stay at the conn until we've left the Milky Way, there's a lot of traffic out there."

Then she was gone, slipping away into the rear compartment while Elle furrowed her brow and watched her go.

* 

"I can hear you walking around, you know," Elle called, her voice echoing through the runabout as Vivian completed her sixth circuit of the cockpit two nights later. She'd left all the doors open again when she'd disappeared into the back for her sleeping shift, a habit that was quickly driving Vivian round the bend. Though, like Elle kept pointing out, they did have an entire runabout to themselves and it was practically palatial after bunking together for their last three years at the Academy.

Vivian gritted her teeth but obediently came to a stop and turned to stare at the viewscreen instead. Stars were whipping past at warp and it had been hours since anyone else had shown up on the sensors. There was something peaceful about it all - peaceful, and damningly lacking in distractions. 

She was so busy castigating the view for being constant and never changing that Vivian didn't notice Elle, not even when she padded up behind her in sock-clad feet.

"You can talk to me, you know," she said from behind Vivian's shoulder, and Vivian shrieked as she spun around.

They stared at each other for a drawn out moment, Elle's hands raised in a surprised gesture of surrender and her eyes wide as Vivian slapped a hand over her own mouth, mortified. Then they broke down in laughter at the same time, leaning on each other and gasping desperately for breath as their shoulders shook.

It took them several long minutes to calm down, but eventually Elle straightened and wiped tears from her eyes. "I mean that, Vivian. I can tell there's something wrong. You do know that it's okay if you don't want to do this anymore, right? I'd understand if it really has started to feel too dishonest for you."

Still chuckling, Vivian squeezed Elle's shoulder as she stepped back and collapsed into a seat. "I know, Elle, but I wouldn't do that to you. It's family, so it's important to you. I, of all people, can understand that."

Elle followed her more slowly, trailing her fingers along the edge of a console before she sat down beside Vivian. "Okay. But if it's not the lie, then what is it?"

Vivian forced another chuckle. "Oh, you know me. Even if I'm okay with pretending, I'm still always worrying about my own family legacy. Duty and making a name for myself and all that boring stuff."

"That's not true at all," Elle said.

She reached out and grabbed Vivian's hands where they sat in her lap with one of her own, lacing their fingers together. When Vivian swallowed and looked up, Elle's face was barely a foot away and she was watching Vivian with a very serious expression.

"I'll never forget that sparkle in your eye the first time you told me about the Kensington family reunions, and how you used to listen to your parents and all your aunts and uncles and cousins sitting around talking. How they'd reminisce about this mission or that planet, and the wonder of being the first person to see some rare scientific marvel out in space," Elle said. There was a sparkle in her own eye as she spoke, a dreamy look that had become very familiar to Vivian over the years. "I wasn't surprised after that when you told me joining Starfleet was all you'd ever wanted to do. You made it sound like a magical childhood, growing up around all of that."

Vivian sucked in a sharp breath as Elle reached out and tapped her knuckles on Vivian's chest, right over her heart.

"Maybe I carry my heart on my sleeve when it comes to Starfleet, just like everyone says I do. But you always held Starfleet right here, with _your_ heart. And I know that your heart is capable of far more than just duty and reputation."

"I don't know about that," Vivian replied, her voice rough.

"What's really going on, Vivian?" Elle asked, eyes earnest.

Vivian stared back at her and opened her mouth, then shut it again and swallowed hard. Turning her gaze towards their joined hands, she awkwardly attempted a smile that felt unfortunately more like a grimace. "Oh, nothing. I've probably just spent too long at warp."

As she watched her lap, Elle's other hand dropped down as well so that she could trap Vivian's hands with it.

"I think I might know. I think maybe you're in love with me," Elle said.

Vivian blanched and didn't raise her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about," she muttered.

"Really? Because you've been running away anytime I want to talk about vows, or kissing, or sharing a bed while we're staying at the colony. My evidence might be circumstantial, I grant you. But if it's really not the lying, then it must be something else."

Vivian let out a gusty sigh and dropped her head back against the seat, neatly avoiding looking at Elle by staring at the ceiling instead. "I don't know what to tell you, Elle."

Elle didn't answer for a long time, but her hands never loosened while Vivian continued stubbornly staring upwards.

"Even at full warp capacity, we still have at least a few more days before we'll arrive. I think we should have dinner," Elle eventually declared, punctuating her words with a squeeze to Vivian's hands.

Vivian's brow crinkled but she refused to look down. "We already have dinner. In fact, we have dinner together almost every night back on Earth."

"No, silly," Elle said, finally releasing Vivian. But before Vivian could panic and sit up to see where Elle was going, her fingers found Vivian's chin. Her touch was as warm and gentle as her first kiss had been as she tilted Vivian's head down. Suddenly helpless before her, Vivian let her. "I think we should _have dinner_. Like a date. We should have at least one date before we get married."

Still confused, Vivian just shrugged weakly and spread her hands in confusion; though she was careful not to move her head and dislodge Elle's grip. "What are you talking about?"

Elle groaned. "I'm talking about us going on a date, or at least the best approximation of one that we can manage on this runabout. A proper date, with nice clothes and food and maybe a holo projected against the wall or something. We've got all of tomorrow to figure out the details. But I want to take you, Vivian Kensington, on a date. Then I want you to kiss me goodnight at my door afterwards."

"Your door?" Vivian asked, bewildered. "Of your bunk?"

"Oh, for-," Elle muttered and surged forward, shifting her hand around to the back of Vivian's neck so she could yank Vivian forward. Vivian yelped, but the sound was cut off by the press of Elle's mouth against hers. It was hard at first, a clash of teeth and lips born out of frustration. But when Vivian gasped and opened her mouth to meet it, Elle softened again and deepened the kiss as she stroked her fingers across the back of Vivian's neck until she shivered.

When Elle pulled back, Vivian licked her lips. "I thought you wanted me to kiss you after dinner?"

Elle just laughed and tipped forward to rest her forehead against Vivian's. "I do. You should definitely do that, too," she said, still chuckling.

"Alright," Vivian agreed faintly. "Alright then, I will.


End file.
